A review by onthesamepage
Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a really solid debut, and exactly what I happen to like in a contemporary romance. I do think that the characters seem more mature than I would normally expect from eighteen year olds, especially Benny. Maybe there's a bit of wish fulfilment in the way his character was written, but I honestly didn't care. It was nice reading about a love interest that takes his partner's concerns very seriously, and is eager to learn and always do better.
There are plenty of cute romantic moments between Reese and Benny, but a large part of this book actually deals with sexism in the workplace. Even though Reese and Benny both star in a new series on the cooking channel, the (male) bosses quickly show favoritism towards Benny. Reese, meanwhile, gets comments about how she should smile more for example. These kinds of double standards are nothing new, and an incident in Reese's past has made her extra wary when it comes to this kind of behaviour. But it's hard to stand up to it when your job or internship is on the line. She also garners way more vitriol from fans online than her male cohost. I appreciated the way the author handled Reese's situation. That said, I do think it would've made the story stronger if we had been able to see other women at the company dealing with (or having dealt with) similar incidents/treatment.
The book lagged slightly in parts, and there is a bit of repetition in the things Reese stresses about, as well as the feminist commentary (some of which was a bit on the nose too), but I had a great time reading this.
This is a really solid debut, and exactly what I happen to like in a contemporary romance. I do think that the characters seem more mature than I would normally expect from eighteen year olds, especially Benny. Maybe there's a bit of wish fulfilment in the way his character was written, but I honestly didn't care. It was nice reading about a love interest that takes his partner's concerns very seriously, and is eager to learn and always do better.
There are plenty of cute romantic moments between Reese and Benny, but a large part of this book actually deals with sexism in the workplace. Even though Reese and Benny both star in a new series on the cooking channel, the (male) bosses quickly show favoritism towards Benny. Reese, meanwhile, gets comments about how she should smile more for example. These kinds of double standards are nothing new, and an incident in Reese's past has made her extra wary when it comes to this kind of behaviour. But it's hard to stand up to it when your job or internship is on the line. She also garners way more vitriol from fans online than her male cohost. I appreciated the way the author handled Reese's situation. That said, I do think it would've made the story stronger if we had been able to see other women at the company dealing with (or having dealt with) similar incidents/treatment.
The book lagged slightly in parts, and there is a bit of repetition in the things Reese stresses about, as well as the feminist commentary (some of which was a bit on the nose too), but I had a great time reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual harassment